The End or The Beginning?
by obsidians
Summary: Ranma reflects on his life at his wife's funeral


I do not own Ranma ½ or its characters; Rumiko Takahashi does and I make no money from writing this story.

'It's raining; they always say that it rains when good people die' Ranma thought as he leaned on his cane. He smiled as his oldest son automatically held an umbrella over his head to spare his water cursed elderly father the indignantly of becoming a woman at his wife's funeral. Ranma was ninety four and had lived a long and full life with his one true love, Akane Saotome. As he stood at the edge of her grave, he could feel the tears that he had been suppressing run down his cheeks. His beautiful Akane, his beloved Akane was being buried today.

The funeral was packed, but none of his former enemies or friends were in attendance; Ranma had outlasted them all. He had finally won Akane's heart and married her when they were eighteen. He watched his former fiancées grow sad and eventually paired up with Akane's ex-suitors: Kuno with Nabiki, Ukyou with Ryoga and Mousse with Shampoo. At first it had been awkward running into the other couples, but then animosity had faded into friendship. Later on, the former teenagers who couldn't stand being in the same room together started hanging out to laugh about old times. As the couples started to procreate, their children played together and sometimes even went onto to date each other. A feat that never would have been possible for the first generation. Sadly Ranma and Akane had had to see them expire until there were only them left of the Nerima Wrecking Crew.

Ranma looked at his wife's coffin as if in surprise, it was hard to believe that anything could still her laughter and zest for life. They had seventy six wonderful years together, seventy six years full of love and laughter. Akane loved to laugh and almost nothing could dampen her sunny disposition. Not even when her new husband had been doused in a flash flood at their beach wedding just as they were about to share their first kiss as man and wife. She had just started laughing as she stood in her sopping wedding dress and veil and asked for hot water for her suddenly diminutive and female husband. Akane had been the perfect wife and mother; her smile could quell any bad temper around her and her touch sooth the most savage heart.

The first new member of their growing family had been a son and then two daughters concurrently, all of whom possessed the famous Tendo smile. Ranma never bothered to rid himself of his female half, he had grown to tolerate his shape changing as one does a bad cow lick or a psoriasis patch on skin that shall never fade completely; annoying but tolerable. His children were taught that a Jusenkyo curse was nothing to be ashamed of and they grew up playing with Uncle P-Chan, Uncle-Mu Mu Chan and Aunt Neko, just as much as their human equivalents.

The dojo did not only allow them a living, but became a household name and they soon they had chains all over the world once their first students graduated the Saotome-Tendo School of Anything Goes and bought franchises. Their family thrived. It seemed like only a minute before their children were bound for college and then the altar, only to spawn the next generation.

Akane and Ranma entered their golden years no less in love then when they first married and could only look at their busy children and grandchildren and feel a glow of pride. Akane had trouble breathing one night so Ranma took her to the hospital; there was nothing they could do. At the age of ninety four her always active body was simply too worn out, old age had finally gripped the irrepressible Akane. As she lay in her hospital bed gripping her husband's hand for the last time, she turned to him, gave him her heartwarming smile and said "goodbye dummy, I'll miss you"

Ranma gave his wife a ghost of a smile and said "you were always cute to me Tomboy" and then they shared their final kiss and I loves you, until Akane quit the world forever. A bright star suddenly extinguished. Ranma cried into her neck and then chopped off the grey braid he still retained, he pressed it into her hand so that she would take a part of him with her.

The graveyard was packed and there were yellow flowers as far as the eye could see, they might have seemed too cheerful for a funeral but Ranma had his reasons.

Flashback

Akane in their garden was pruning her yellow roses when she turned to Ranma "Ranma if I die first, I want yellow flowers. Lilies are too depressing; I want to be surrounded by bright, cheerful flowers so that people won't be sad" she said suddenly.

Ranma turned "you're not going to die for a long while yet" he said to her.

Akane just smiled and said "just promise me"

Ranma said "I promise Akane"

End Flashback

Ranma watched as his wife's coffin was lowered into ground and wiped away his tears. "Grand Ranma, where did Grandmother Akane go?" asked his five year old great-great-granddaughter.

Ranma whispered his wife's name and then a yellow flower blew right towards him; he caught it with the martial arts reflexes that he still retained. Just then he heard her laugh and the wind caressed his now short hair as if her fingers were running through it. He felt such a feeling of love. He looked back at little Akira, she had long blue black hair and gentle brown eyes and realized that Akane would never be gone completely. "She's gone, but she'll still always be here" he said stroking her soft hair that felt so much like his wife's when she was younger. She smiled that famous smile and she took his hand. 'It's a beautiful thing we created Akane' he thought as the clouds opened to golden sunshine that smiled upon them.


End file.
